Over the past years, the St. Lawrence Market area has seen the addition of many new restaurants. One of them was Pastizza; a fast casual Italian eatery that opened in 2014. However, they re-branded themselves as Cresta Toronto earlier last month, and relaunched their menu to provide more of an upscale dining experience. Cresta Toronto is housed in a historical building adjacent to the St. Lawrence Market, and is beautiful with its floor to ceiling windows that allow natural light in, and 35-foot wine chandelier. There are two levels; the lower level seats up to 75 guests while the mezzanine can accommodate an intimate seating for up to 60 seated guests. Great for all occasions!

Cresta Toronto is a California-inspired restaurant offering an "Italian inspired, Californian cultivated experience" with its extensive collection of world-class Californian wines and menu. Its name is inspired by a popular vineyard in California, the Cresta ridge vineyard of Thomas George Estates in the Russian River Valley. It's headed by Executive Chef Tri Tran who has brought forth a menu with both traditional and contemporary Italian cuisine like duck & liver, beet risotto, and ricotta & chestnut ravioli. Additionally, the food is heavily focused on using fresh seasonal ingredients infused with rich wines, which is influenced by its California-inspired roots.

I had the pleasure of attending their media event about two weeks ago where I sampled an array of dishes that are available on Cresta Toronto's menu.From what I've tasted at the event, many of the menu items offer a seamless balance of flavor, color, and presentation. So, I look forward to returning to Cresta Toronto to check out their full menu, as the event piqued my interest. Cresta is open Tuesday through Sunday from 11:30 am to 10:00 pm (closed Monday) offering brunch, lunch, and dinner.

As previously mentioned, the restaurant shifted towards being more upscale than their previous endeavor. So, the new menu reflects the new change, and was designed to perfectly complement the wines that they offer. Below are some of the menu items that guests got to try.

About two weeks ago, a small group of foodies were invited to The Good Son for a #ZomatoMeetup. The meal was a Zomato x FoodismTO collaboration dinner to celebrate the Toronto launch of FoodismTO. Foodism is the largest food and drink magazine in London, UK, and Toronto marks their first international foray. The web version launched earlier this past November, and the free print magazine will be released sometime in the fall (likely September 2016). FoodismTO will follow the same format as its London publication, as it will be a free magazine (funded by ads) featuring high quality images and food-centric articles on Toronto's food scene. Additionally, President’s Choice’s PC Black Label Collection recently signed on to be Foodism's official launch partner, which is pretty exciting news for the publication.

They are celebrating their launch with an amazing contest where one winner will get the chance to dine at 12 top Toronto restaurants for a year - one meal for each month of the year for two. All you have to do is tweet them using the hashtag #TOMealsForAYear with the name of a favourite dish that you've had at a Toronto restaurant. More details at http://www.foodism.to/competition/free-meals-for-a-year/.

1. Fill in your details below (we need to be able to get a hold of you!)2. Show us some love and Follow @FoodismTO and @ZomatoCA3. "Quote" the tweet below, telling us your favourite dish you've had at a Toronto restaurant...ever! Don't forget to include the hashtag #TOMealsForAYear

The Good Son is a neighborhood restaurant and bar in the Queen West area. The restaurant opened its door in 2014, and is headed by Chef Vittorio Colacitti of Top Chef Canada. Rather than focusing on one cuisine, Chef Vittorio Colacitti brought forth a multicultural menu that celebrates the city's
multiculturalism. The restaurant also focuses on using local and seasonal organic ingredients, and their menu changes seasonally.

Our dinner at The Good Son was a 7-course tasting menu prepared by Chef Vittorio Colacitti, and his team.
Some of the menu items were made specifically for the event, and are not on the current menu like the Double Duck Pizza.

[First Course] Sea Bream Crudo - tomatillo, apple, almond, avocado

[Second Course] Steak Tartare - piquillo, frites

[Third Course] Dumpling Soup - scallop, ginger, miso

The open kitchen boasts a large wood-fire oven that churns out delicious looking pizzas like the one we had at the event.

Roll Play Bar & Lounge started off as a board game cafe when they first opened, but has since re-branded itself into Toronto's first Asian cocktail bar. There was a change in ownership, and they decided to transition to a bar/lounge late last year. Roll Play Bar & Lounge now offers an extensive list of high-end Asian cocktails, wine & beer, while still offering some complimentary board games for customers to play. The location is slightly hidden, as it's located on the second floor of a building next to the BMV. You actually need to walk up to a long stairwell with pop art collages, which leads to the bar/lounge. According to their website, the space was created to be reminiscent of a bar in Hong Kong, and where customers can experience the Asian culture.

The space felt modern and sleek with its exposed brick, dimly lit with a
lot of black/red decor, wooden tables and chairs, and black booths. Great for
larger groups or even an intimate date for two.

The food and dessert menu has been simplified to feature a small number of items. Unfortunately, we had dinner prior to our visit, so we didn't have room to eat so I can't comment on their food menu. However, Roll Play Bar & Lounge does have a great selection of 88 Asian-inspired cocktails that are
named after well-known Asian movies. They have also brought forward a new concept where customers would roll dice
to determine what drink they would get, and that's something they're
pushing forward. I thought that it was a really interactive, and fun way
to add to the atmosphere.

While we waited for our
drinks, we decided to start a game of Jenga. Although, they did away with the board game cafe concept, they kept a few games that weren't too complicated, but still fun to play like Taboo, Jenga, Scrabble, Pictionary, and a few more.

The cocktails were well-priced for what you get, and tasted really good.

For dessert, there was only one option that night, so we ended up getting the burnt marshmallow waffle and ice-cream ($14). The dessert consisted of four waffles topped with burnt marshmallow, drizzled with chocolate sauce, and served with vanilla ice cream and banana slices.

I have never been here during their early board game phrase, so I can't really comment on how well they transitioned. However, it's a fun place to hang out, drink cocktails, and play games with friends, or even on dates. I thought that the ambiance was nice, and the music wasn't too loud so conversations can easily be made with one another.

The 24 hours diner is synonymous for their no frills "Grand Slam" breakfast, and there are an abundance of locations worldwide including several in Ontario. Denny's opened its first Toronto location in mid 2014 on the corner of Bay and Dundas. Its central location makes it very close to both the Eaton's Center, and Ryerson University (students also get 15% discount), so it's a convenient spot.

Denny's Toronto offers a menu of classic breakfast and comfort food for relatively affordable prices. Although breakfast seems to be the central focus at Denny's as it's available all-day. I arrived to Denny's Toronto for lunch, and opted for the highly recommended Cinnamon Pancake Breakfast - cinnamon sauce and cream cheese icing drizzled over two buttermilk pancakes. Served with two eggs* and hash browns, plus your choice of two strips of bacon or two sausage links and a side of warm syrup. I don't often eat breakfast foods for lunch, but it was available so why now? Judging solely on appearance, I'd say that the cinnamon pancakes was very aesthetically pleasing on my first visit (IG-picturesque).

However, I was slightly less than impressed with the lack of
presentation on my second visit for dinner, and there was no syrup
between the layers this time around. Luckily, the taste was still the same, which I
enjoyed on both visits. Tasty and fluffy pancakes! Overall, the meal came with a substantial amount of food, and I was pretty full by the end of lunch.

Overall, the restaurant caters to the regulars in the area, students from Ryerson, and tourists, so it's a nice mix of patrons. Denny's Toronto is open 24 hours, and is essentially a go-to place for breakfast foods, and late-night dinners.

Denny's Toronto recently introduced an app called The Denny's Club App, where patrons are able to collect points for their meals (social loyalty program). Additionally, the app has the capability to allow you to pay for your meals within the app - a two-in-one feature. It's nice that you don't have to pull out your wallet, as your payment information are securely stored on the app. I like that if you're a frequent diner at Denny's, then the app instantly recognizes you as one of "Denny's Loyal Customers", and offers you extra perks.

Go paperless with your receipts and download the app today; available for Apple and Android.

Don't forget to drop into Denny's on your birthday for a FREE grand slam breakfast.

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Welcome to Foodaholic! A Toronto-based food reviews, travel and lifestyle blog. My name is Sandi, and I am a female living in the city of Toronto (Canada). I am also an entrepreneur working in the field of logistics and e-commerce. When I am not working, I enjoy blogging, traveling, reading, taking photos, and of course eating. I started this blog as I am an avid foodie who also loves to travel, and I wanted an outlet to share my personal experiences.

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If you have any questions, suggestions, media inquires, feedback, etc ... please email me at foodaholic12@gmail.com.

Food Rating System

The rating list is based on the estimated price of a meal for one person (including taxes).

$ = Inexpensive, under $15$$ = Moderately affordable, between $15-$25$$$ = Expensive, between $25-$50$$$$ = Very expensive or fine dining, $50 and up

Disclaimer (Reviews)

This was blog was started for the purpose of sharing my opinions of restaurants that I have dined at (or took out delivery). Some of you may have different taste buds or a completely different dining experience than what I've had, and may disagree with my reviews, which is fine. However, please note that all of the reviews featured on this blog are solely based on my dining experience. Thanks :)